J&K: Congress worker, jawan injured in militant attack

A senior ruling Congress party functionary was seriously wounded along with a paramilitary guard in a militant attack in south Kashmir Shopian town, late Monday evening.

Police said militants, fired indiscriminately at the residence of Mohammad Shafi Banday, district Congress president in Shopian town, late this evening.

"Banday sustained serious bullet injuries in the shootout in which a paramilitary central reserve police force trooper, posted on guard duty at Banday's house, was also wounded," a senior police officer here said.

Both Banday and the Central Reserve Police Force trooper were immediately brought to summer capital Srinagar for treatment.

It must be mentioned that the attack on the senior ruling Congress party leader has come at a time when the authorities here are saying that both infiltration and the levels of violence have increased in past three months.

Banday's house in Shopian town is guarded by the CRPF troopers who returned the fire. However, the militants managed escape despite searches mounted after the attack.

Banday's father and former MLA, Abdul Majeed Banday was killed by militants in mid 1990s.